Introduction

Imagine a bride that suffers from anxiety attacks-- how does she manage on her wedding day, a day full of anxiety-producing triggers? The answer: with the help of her anxiety detecting service dog. Pictures of a bride and her anxiety service dog, Bella, comforting her on her wedding day, captured the hearts of many, when they appeared on social media. Bella helps her mistress by alerting to symptoms of a heightened anxious state in her owner, and allowing her owner, to take a moment, get help, adjust her environment, and receive comfort from her anxiety service dog. Bella helped her owner get through her special day with flying colors. Dogs like Bella can make a big difference in the life of people who suffer from anxiety attacks, heightened states of anxiety in response to stressors in the environment. Allowing people suffering from anxiety to function and conduct a normal life by participating in events, holding down a career and functioning in public settings are just a few of the benefits an anxiety detecting dog can provide.

Defining Tasks

People experiencing anxiety attacks are triggered by a stressor in the environment, however, the anxiety reaction can far exceed that of what a non-anxious person would experience. Symptoms such as shortness of breath,a racing heart, muscle tremors, foot tapping, or leg bouncing, or other involuntary movements may occur. These symptoms can act as triggers for a vigilant anxiety detecting dog to pick up on, before the person suffering the anxiety attack is even aware that their anxiety level is rising. The service dog can alert the person to their rising anxiety level, providing distraction, allowing owners to consciously engage in anti-anxiety activities to bring down their anxiety level, receive medication, or remove themselves from the anxiety-producing situation. In addition, some anxiety detecting dogs are also taught to provide comfort such as deep pressure therapy, or other anxiety relieving behaviors. An anxiety service dog may help guide a confused person to a safe place, alert a loved one, or put their body between the person and others to protect them and give them a sense of security.

Service dogs must have quiet, calm temperaments so they can be used in public, but be alert enough to pick up on small cues that an anxiety attack is occurring, and motivated to work to alert their handlers and provide comfort. Most dogs begin training at 1-2 years of age, and training can take several months to a year or more. Dogs are trained to alert their handlers with a predetermined alert such as a nudge of the leg or the hand, which gets the handler's attention and allows them to initiate steps to prevent their anxiety from escalating further.

Getting Started

Before training, you will need to determine what alert you will want to have your dog use to let you know that anxiety levels are rising. Frequently, a nudge with the nose is used as a signal. You will also need to identify what symptoms of anxiety you manifest that your dog will need to alert on. For example, increased heart rate, breathing rate, muscle movements, scratching, or touching your face are all possible signs people exhibit when their anxiety level starts to rise. Lastly, you will need to determine what actions you want your dog to take to help you reduce anxiety, lead you away from the situation, provide DPT, or fetch medication are all possible tasks your anxiety service dog can perform to help resolve anxiety conditions. All service dogs being used in public places will need to be well socialized and obedient in a variety of circumstances and around a variety of people, so a lot of work to establish the dog is comfortable working in various situations prior to training will be required. You should also investigate service dog certification requirements in your area.

The Link Alert & Anxiety Method

Most Recommended

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Step

1

Reward alert

Tech an alert behavior such as a nose nudge. Capture the behavior and reward with treats.

Step

2

Command alert

Now add a verbal cue, such as ‘nudge’.

Step

3

Vary

Change position train your dog to perform the alert in several different places and while you are sitting or standing.

Practice in lots of different places, positions and with distractions. Go back to step 3 if necessary in different distracting situations and proceed through steps until the dog is able to alert to anxiety cues in a variety of circumstances.

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Success Stories and Training Questions

Training Questions and Answers

Question

Kanati

Pit bull

1 Year

1 found helpful

Question

1 found helpful

Kanati

Pit bull

1 Year

im trying to train him as my p.t.s.d service dog but he is so stubborn. i need to train him before 8th grade starts. what commands does he need to know?

7 months, 1 week ago

Kanati's Owner

Caitlin Crittenden

Dog Trainer

114Dog owners recommended

Hello Alura,
Kanati will need to know basic obedience to make him safe and non-disruptive in public locations. This includes "Down Stay" for very long periods of time, "Sit Stay", and "Heel". He will also need to be calm and quiet when he is with you at school, and he cannot have any aggressive tendencies towards other people or dogs. To be considered a Service Dog he will need to learn at least one action that directly helps your P.T.S.D. That action can be alerting you when you are anxious. You can teach him to nudge you, lean against you, or paw at you whenever you do the things that indicate that you are nervous such as rubbing your arms, picking at yourself, wiggling your leg, chewing on your hair, hanging your head, or something else. Pay attention to what you specifically tend to do when anxious and teach him to alert you when you do those things. Another task you can teach him is to provide Pressure Therapy by leaning against you on cue, or climbing into your lap and standing still while you hug him. Another thing that you can teach him is to lead you to exits during panic attacks. Although not a P.T.S.D task teaching him to lay underneath your chair can also be helpful because it will get him out of people's way and also can provide comfort to you.
The minimum commands that he needs to know are: "Heel", "Down Stay", "Sit Stay", and one specialized PTSD related action such as Pressure Therapy, Interrupting your anxious behavior, or leading you to exits during panic attacks, as well as having no major behavior issues that will cause disruptions or endanger anyone while in public, such as barking or aggression.
Joining a Canine Good Citizen Class can help with all of the basic manners and obedience that he will need, and then you can teach him at least one P.T.S.D specific task as well.
Best of luck training,
Caitlin Crittenden

7 months, 1 week ago

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Question

Sonny

Dashand

4 Years

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Sonny

Dashand

4 Years

How much would it be to train an autism service dog and what tasks do they need to know to qualify as a service dog and how long would it take any ideas thanks 😊

7 months ago

Sonny's Owner

Caitlin Crittenden

Dog Trainer

114Dog owners recommended

Hello Maya,
That would depend very largely on the level of training that your dog already has and the type of training that you pursue. If you complete all of your dog's general obedience, manners, socialization, and behavior problem resolution, if needed, on your own, and only need help with the Service Dog specific tasks, then the price will be considerably less. If your dog has no prior training, then expect the price to be at least twice to three times as expensive, due to general obedience training, behavior problem training, and socialization.
The three basic routes that you can go if you only need Service Dog task training are: Group classes, Private Training, and Board and Train at a facility that specializes in Service Dog Training.
Group classes tend to cost between $150-$300 for six to eight weeks worth of training. You would be expected to work with your pup on your own at home after being shown what to do during the class each week. This type of training will only work if you have the time to commit to it at home, and possibly if you can take your dog places during the week to practice in public places also, but many of the tasks are not too difficult to train yourself once you know how. If your pup is already well socialized and knows basic obedience, but is not calm enough or quite ready to be out in public, then you will need to go through a Canine Good Citizen class with him also, to prepare him for the distractions that he will need to handle. That type of class typically costs around $150-$300 as well. So $350-$600, with $400-$450 being the average for both classes combined, is what you can expect. Prices vary wildly by area though.
Private training usually costs about $80-$150 per session. These sessions are usually held in your home or at public locations to practice around distractions. This training is much more geared toward your specific needs and can often accommodate multiple needs, such as obedience and task training, at once. Expect to need at least six sessions for task specific training only. So $480-$900 if the trainer is close to you. Possibly more if the trainer lives further away from you. Double that cost if your pup is well socialized, has general obedience, but is not quite ready to be out in public and be calm all of the time. With that additional cost expect: $960-$1,800 total for task specific training and to prepare your pup for going places with the person that he is assisting. The cost will go up again if your dog has no prior training or has behavior problems that need to be resolved first.
Board and Train usually costs between $2,000-$4,000 depending on where you go, the level of training that your dog needs, and what area you live in. Successful Board and Train programs will usually involve multiple weeks of your dog being at their facility training, and then several follow up sessions with you and your dog after he goes home, to make sure that your dog will perform the training for you as well.
All of these prices can vary though if your dog needs more or less training in a particular area. The more of the training that you are willing to do yourself, even under the guidance of a trainer, the less expensive the training will be.
To qualify as a Service Dog your dog must know at least one task that specifically relates to Autism. If he knows more than one that is even better. The person that the dog is working for must also have a medical diagnoses from a doctor for the condition that the dog is helping with. Autism specific tasks might include: pressure therapy, where the dog climbs into the persons lap, stands in front of him if the dog is tall enough, or leans against him, when the person is anxious. The dog also can facilitate social interactions through the use of a tethering system, as emotional support, by pulling or nudging the person towards the social situation, or by initiating social interactions first. The dog also might perform interrupting behaviors if the person is self-destructive, anxious, or does repetitive behaviors. The dog would be trained to automatically nudge, block, or interrupt the person in another way whenever the person starts to do the behavior. That behavior could be rocking, head banging, picking at sores, wiggling a leg anxiously, rubbing arms, or anything else that falls under one those categories and is specific to that person.
Training for basic task training typically takes about two months. If your dog needs training for being out in public, general obedience, socialization, or behavior problems than the training time can vary wildly between two months and two years. I would recommend contacting a few different trainers in your area who offer various forms of Service Dog training. Discuss your specific training needs with that person and see if they can give you a general quote. The person will probably not be able to give you a guaranteed amount quote because other needs might arise during training that you previously were not aware of, and the speed of training and thus number of sessions for training will depend on how often you practice if you are training yourself, and on the speed of your dog's own learning, but the quote number will definitely give you a general idea of what to expect, and can help you decide what form of training you would like to pursue and with what training group.
Best of luck training,
Caitlin Crittenden

7 months ago

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Question

Emmi Lou

Australian Shepherd

11 Years

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Question

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Emmi Lou

Australian Shepherd

11 Years

Hello:) I just finished school and would like to start study veterinary medicine in the next 1-2 years. But i have a lot of problems with anxiety, depressive episodes and i am stressed very easily and use to tend to destructive behavior. I thought about owner train a new dog ( because Emmi is quite old) to a sd or asd but i live in Germany and the whole service dog situation is not very common here. And i don't find someone to ask all my questions so i try my luck here:)1. What breeds are best for anxiety service dogs?2. How can i train a dog to alert to my breathing pattern (it sounds really difficult to me as long as i am not hyperventilating...)3. Would my dog still be a service dog if i could take him anywhere i go? Because dogs aren't allowed in anatomy/ pathology lessons because of toxic fumes:( 4. Can you recommend any good books/ sites/ videos for training?

I also struggle with the decision if i "deserve" a service dog because i could also manage my life without one. it is not that i can't leave my house on my own or something like that but i think tasks like dpt,blocking,anxiety/distress alerts could really help me..

I'm sorry for this long question(s) but i have so many and i don't know who to ask. Thank you for reading this and i hope you can help me:)

6 months ago

Emmi Lou's Owner

Caitlin Crittenden

Dog Trainer

114Dog owners recommended

Hello Emilia,
Congratulations on graduating school. There are many breeds that make wonderful Service Dogs. Golden Retrievers are probably the most popular breed because of their friendly nature, intelligence, desire to please, and well rounded temperaments. Other popular breeds are: Labrador Retrievers, Poodles, and German Shepherds. There are many other breeds, such as Australian Shepherds that make good service dogs for certain tasks, but some of those breeds are too sensitive for emotional support roles or are not large enough for pressure therapy. Learning how to assess the individual temperament of a puppy and look at the puppy's parents' temperaments are just as important though. A service dog needs to have a balanced temperament. To be at least moderately intelligent, desire to please, be confident but not overly pushy or dominant, not be fearful or timid, and have enough social skills to handle being around lots of people and animals and be in different environments.
Your dog should not be excluded as a Service Dog just because there are some places that he cannot go for safety reasons. I do not know about Germany, but in the United States you do not have to take your Service Dog with you everywhere for that dog to still be considered a Service Dog and admitted into places where you need him.
Check out these websites for further educational resources:
http://servicedogtraininginstitute.ca/nanaimo
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbClNYe2z7nRwPNU9y3fDzQ
YouTube is also a great resource for free training videos, but you have to be selective about who you listen to since anyone can post there.
I cannot speak to the attitude in Germany about Service Dogs, but I will say that if you lived in the United States, assuming that your struggles have been medically documented, then you would absolutely qualify for a Service Dog. Service Dog's are designed to help individuals who struggle to cope with everyday activities like social interactions, physical tasks, getting places, and generally contributing to society. There are certain medically diagnosed conditions, including PTDS, Autism, Anxiety, Depression, and other psychiatric conditions, that hinder individuals from doing that. Having a Service Dog simply because you enjoy your dog's company is unacceptable because that can make it harder for others who need them to receive them, but having a Service Dog who can actively help prevent anxiety attacks, social withdrawal, self-destructive behaviors, and generally things that hinder ones quality of life is not only acceptable but it is a gift that you should never feel guilty about receiving. If you are in better health, including mental health, because of your Service Dog, then that dog's help is one hundred percent worthwhile and valuable and should be received, no matter what anyone thinks. It is extremely important to well socialize your dog and teach him general manners so that he is safe and non-disruptive and non-destructive in public however.
If the breathing alerts seem confusing, then you can also pay attention to other body language cues that you tend to do when anxious, such as rubbing your arms, wiggling your leg, picking at your skin, shaking, twirling your hair, or anything else that you notice that you tend to do when you are anxious. Once you know those cues, then you can do them during training and teach your dog to alert you or provide other assistance, such as pressure therapy, whenever you do those things. When he alerts you or does whatever else you would like for him to do, then you praise him and reward him. If he alerts you when you are not doing those things, then do not reward him.
For the breathing, pay attention to your breathing when you are anxious at some point though. If you wish to use that as a signal, then simply notice how you are breathing while anxious. Is it shallow? Large breaths? Fast? Holding your breath periodically? For the training, you do not have to exaggerate your breathing, simply mimic your breathing during an anxious episode, and teach him to alert you when you breath like that, and then practice breathing like that and rewarding him when he alerts, and breathing normally and not rewarding him if he alerts. Overtime he should learn to tell the difference. The difference can be subtle, but the more you train, the better a dog will tend to become at reading you. Since you want your dog to alert you when you are anxious, then you will want to teach him your own individual signs of anxiety. Those signs can be whatever you tend to do when anxious. To find out what those signs are simply pay attention to yourself when you are anxious, or have another person watch you carefully and write down what you tend to do. For better accuracy, have that person observe you multiple times and pick out the things that seem to be consistent expressions of your anxiety.
Best of luck training,
Caitlin Crittenden

6 months ago

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Question

Moose

Mutt

6 Months

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Question

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Moose

Mutt

6 Months

Hello I was wondering how old does a dog have to be to start training him when asked I've been told 6 Months 18 months and even been told I should have started training at 3 montns. But I need him for my anxiety attacks to alert me before I go into a full blown attack and I want him to either nudge my leg or sit/stand at my feet between me and a person either one works for me just because I do tend to go into anxiety attacks when people get to close to me and a now friend of mine has a black lab mix as her service dog and over hearing her say to a store manager that she was trained for anxiety I wanted to ask her if after she got her did it help with her anxiety and so I asked her and she said yes it did. Which caused me to go to my Dr and see if he thinks it will also help me. Which he said yes it might help and he recommended me to look into it saying he suggested it to my mother before but she said no now that I'm 18 I have looked into it more so and ended up getting the puppy from jewels(the girl in the store with her dog) her uncle was selling the puppies and she said one of the puppies from him had the right look and personality she thought for a service dog and so I got moose. But I don't know when to start his training if I wanted to train him not have someone else train him for me. I just feel like it would give us more bonding time. But I am looking into great trainers near me to help me navigate through the training. But I would like to b the only one to train him. And I won't make any 100% decisions about any particular trainer until he's old enough to be trained.sorry for the long paragraph I honestly didn't intend to type this much so sorry for the length of this

5 months ago

Moose's Owner

Caitlin Crittenden

Dog Trainer

114Dog owners recommended

Hello Summer,
You can start to work on general obedience, socialization, and manners, which are all needed in order for your puppy to go with you to public places as a Service Dog. That type of training can start as early as eight weeks of age. Formal training for Service Dog tasks, like blocking and alerting, can begin as early as six months, but specifically as soon as your puppy masters general obedience, socialization, and manners. Socialization is time sensitive and needs to happen as early as possible. Task training can be done at a later age if your puppy is not ready in the other areas. The sooner you start training in all of the areas, the better trained he should be for the rest of his life because you will be forming strong, good habits early on, but the training will take longer if you start while he is still a puppy, which is why many people recommend that you wait. Puppies even younger than six months of age can learn to perform specialized tasks, but they may not do those tasks consistently and with focus until after one year of age. So begin teaching him now, but be prepared to work with him for a while before he is ready to perform his training anywhere with you.
Best of luck training,
Caitlin Crittenden

5 months ago

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Question

Barbie

Labrador Retriever

1 Year

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Question

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Barbie

Labrador Retriever

1 Year

I am currently working on finding a dog to train as my service dog. I may have found one at the local shelter here so the dog I have named isn’t officially mine just yet. I have chronic depression, general anxiety, and also really bad social anxiety. I have a family, including 3 children, 6, 10, & 12. How would I go about getting the dog I choose to be “mine” so to say. My kids love animals and I want the dog to have a relationship with my family as well but also for the dog to understand that I’m the person that needs him/her and to still watch for my cues when I start getting anxious.

4 months, 1 week ago

Barbie's Owner

Caitlin Crittenden

Dog Trainer

114Dog owners recommended

Hello Crystal,
The best way to get the dog to attach to you more than other people is to do the following:
1. Be the one to train the dog and work with him or her. This can be with the help of a trainer or a class, but whoever puts in the time to actually work with the dog will usually be the person that the dog attaches to most strongly.
2. Be the one to feed the dog the majority of the time. This one is less important than the others. Your family can still help you with this some, but you want the dog to associate the most rewards with you.
3. Tether the dog to yourself whenever you are at home for the first couple of months while the dog is in the training phase. Tethering simply means attaching the dog to yourself with a long leash by clipping one end to the dog and the other end to yourself. There can be exceptions to this, like while everyone is playing with the dog when he is "off duty", you are sleeping, ect...But you want your dog to learn to tune into your cues, which will mostly happen through training but will also happen by simply being around you more than anyone else.
The most important thing to do out of all of those things is be the one to work with your dog on training. If you choose to do all of the training yourself, then I suggest finding a trainer with good references who specializes in Private Service Dog Training, and who does in person or phone or Skype consultations. Book at least one session just to get a lot of your questions answered while getting started or to be able to call when you run into issues or need direction along the way. You might also be able to find a group online or a Meetup.com or club type group of Service Dog Owner/Trainers to use as a resource during the training process. There is a strong community of such people in most medium to large sized cities if you can locate them.
Best of luck training,
Caitlin Crittenden

4 months, 1 week ago

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Nillie

Pit bull

3 Years

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Nillie

Pit bull

3 Years

I have a dog that I adopted from the SPCA almost a year ago. She looks like a Pit Bull but we think that she might be an American Bulldog or maybe some sort of hound mix as well. She is almost 3. She is deaf. I have her registered as an emotional support animal with a note from my doctor. I am looking to make her a service dog. Her emotional support is great while I am home but I need to bring her with me places because of my depression, OCD, as well as anxiety. I wanted to know if it was possible to train her to be more of a service dog by teaching her to be better in crowds, not pull on the leash, and maybe sense when I am going to have a panic attack. Right now she knows basic signs for sit, paw (both sides), and lay down. She just needs to work on focusing on me and not getting excited in crowds. Thanks so much for your help and I look forward to hearing from you soon!

3 months, 1 week ago

Nillie's Owner

Caitlin Crittenden

Dog Trainer

114Dog owners recommended

Hello Amanda,
I would highly suggest finding a Canine Good Citizen class in your area. That class will work on the leash manners, focus, and general obedience while also providing opportunities to practice around other dogs and people. It will also work on the heel command more. The class typically practices teaching the dogs to ignore other dogs so it would be a good fit for improving her general obedience around distractions. They may go on field trips or suggest other places and environment to practice too. If they do not, then when she has shown some improvement, start taking her to places like parks, the farmers market, and outdoor shopping centers to practice her commands around distractions. You can purchase a vet that says "In Training". As a Service Dog she should not be petted or interrupted while working and the vest will help people learn to not interrupt her.
To become a Service Dog Nillie will also need to learn how to perform at least one specific task that helps with your panic attacks, depression, or OCD in addition to generally being well behaved. Doing pressure therapy, learning how to interrupt you when you start doing anxious behaviors or repetitive tasks, or leading you to an exit can all apply. There are other tasks that can also apply, depending on what seems to help you specifically the most.
Best of luck training,
Caitlin Crittenden

3 months, 1 week ago

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Question

Koda

Mastiff

7 Months

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Koda

Mastiff

7 Months

I’m trying to train koda to be my service dog for my anxiety and I want to know the basic things I need to know for him. I have a service dog in training vest and right now we’re working on walking by my side. I just want to know what else I need before he can be considered a service dog. Thank you!

2 months, 3 weeks ago

Koda's Owner

Caitlin Crittenden

Dog Trainer

114Dog owners recommended

Hello Gabby,
To be a service dog your dog must be able to do the following:
1. Perform basic obedience commands around distractions. Including heeling, sit, down, and stay. He must be able to stay in the down for position for long periods of time, so that he will be out of the way when you are places like restaurants and movies.
2. Not be a nuisance in anyway while out in public. That means no barking, pulling, aggression of any form, begging, peeing or pooping where he should not, or trying to get away from you.
3. Perform at least one special task that directly helps with your anxiety. Depending on what you need that task could be: interrupting you when you are doing repetitive or self-destructive behaviors, doing pressure therapy to help relieve your anxiety, leading you to exits during on-coming panic attacks, interrupting you and calming you down during on-coming panic attacks, helping to initiate social interactions, alerting you when its time to take medication if medication is taken during symptom onset. You can train several of these to help with your anxiety even more, but he must know at least one task.
4. You must also have a medically diagnosed condition that warrants a service dog. Anxiety can be one of those. Your doctor should be able to write you a note for things like airline travel and housing rental.
5. Although not necessary for everywhere, for renting and flying you must have a note for your doctor specifying that you do have a medical condition that warrants a service dog. You must also have a copy of his up-to-date medical records with shot information, and a form of ID for him. You are only required to show those things to airlines, housing, and at very rare other times. A shop or store owner is not allowed to request proof. Your word and your dog's ability to do the job and be non-disruptive is all that is required in most places.
6. Although not required, to make life easier I would recommend carrying a copy of your dog's vet records, ID, and a laminated card with ADA law on it (The American with Disabilities Act). The ADA law card will state your rights to anyone asking.
If your dog needs to improve his behavior around distractions, then I would highly recommend attending a Canine Good Citizen class because that will give you a lot of opportunity to practice your dog's general behavior around other dogs, people, and places.
Best of luck training,
Caitlin Crittenden

2 months, 3 weeks ago

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Bear

German Shepherd Husky Mix

8 Months

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Question

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Bear

German Shepherd Husky Mix

8 Months

Hi I was wondering what some key commands are that I would need to focus on. I am training Bear to be a service dog for my anxiety and OCD. I need him to assist me through panic attacks or manic episodes. I have already started by teaching him a cue that when I snap he knows to give me paw and help distract me. He also knows to stay still if I hug him. My only concern is how I am going to train him in large crowds. He gets intimidated if people are crowding him. I am also struggling with keeping him focused on walks. How would I go about keeping him focused when there are a lot of distractors? Thanks.

2 months ago

Bear's Owner

Caitlin Crittenden

Dog Trainer

114Dog owners recommended

Hello Rachael,
Teaching Bear to interrupt you during times of anxiety and to stay still while you hug him are good starts. You might also want to teach him to lead you to exits and to do pressure therapy where he will come over to you during times of stress when you do certain stress related habita like wiggling a leg or rubbing your arms, and stay in front of you or climb into your lap without having to be told and lay on you or press against you consistently to help calm your body down.
You will also want a long Down-Stay that he can do around distractions, since he will need to do that to be out of the way when you take him places like school, work, restaurants, ect...
The two tasks you are already teaching him are sufficient for him to qualify as a service dog once his obedience and behavior in public are better though. You only have to have one specialized task, but the more that you teach him the better he can help you.
For the crowds, heeling, and public behaviors I highly suggest attending an intermediate obedience class with him where you will practice heeling around distractions and obedience around other people. A canine good citizen class would also be very helpful, since the purpose of that class is to train a dog to be a model citizen out in public and around other people and dogs specifically. You want to go somewhere where you are not only being shown how to do those commands around distractions but also being given opportunities to practice the commands around the distractions of the class and field trips during the class. The difference in intermediate obedience and basic obedience is distractions. A class would also be a good place to potentially meet others who are taking their dog's places between class times to practice each week's obedience homework around other forms of distractions, which is essential in order for your dog to learn. A community of fellow owner-trainers like yourself is a good resource. You may also want to look online on places like Facebook groups and Instagram for other service dog owners who can be a support and offer guidance and maybe even practice the public aspects of the together.
For the class, look for a trainer who has a good reputation in the community and also is experienced in off-leash obedience, which will help to ensure that she understands the final goal of intermediate training.
Best of luck training,
Caitlin Crittenden

2 months ago

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Dexter

Pit bull

15 Weeks

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Dexter

Pit bull

15 Weeks

How do I train my service dog in training to ignore people and other distractions? He will literally stop on our walks to wait and see if a person across the street will come over to pet him and it takes a lot to get his attention back on me.

4 weeks ago

Dexter's Owner

Caitlin Crittenden

Dog Trainer

114Dog owners recommended

Hello Sebastian,
At four months of age that is completely normal behavior. You are in a key socialization period and he is learning about the world around him and wondering who is friendly or not. First, make sure that his reaction is in anticipation of fun attention and is not slight nervousness. A bit of nervousness around people is typically at this age. A puppy might love people but as he gets older he starts to realize that not all people are safe and might be trying to assess each person and whether to anticipate fun or scary interactions.
Socialization is the most important thing for a future Service Dog to learn at this age. You can teach obedience to an older dog but you cannot fully socialize an older dog the way you can a puppy. If there is any chance that the interaction is a bit of fear, then when he stops, get really excited and make the experience a party. Praise him excitedly and do a little goofy dance to get him excited about you, then when he relaxes physically or focuses on you, tell him Let's Go!" in an upbeat tone, and quickly do lots of little steps forward, like a little jog. Make your movements fun and distracting and don't wait for him to catch up, keep moving! He should realize that he needs to hurry up and catch up the more you practice this. Once he is moving forward a bit, if he is still turning his head back to watch the person, then start running with him a little bit and turn different directions sporadically. This should get his focus back on you because he cannot watch you and the person at the same time.
When you know that you are going to pass a new person, you can also tell him to "Heel" and run past the person with him. This will help him practice watching you while you pass a person, instead of stopping. You might feel a bit silly doing all of this, but try to enjoy yourself and have fun with it! Dexter will pick up on your energy and that should help his attention be focused on you.
Best of luck training,
Caitlin Crittenden